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From the Desk of the Main Street Program Director

The first step to creating brand recognition for the community

by Rae Gosling | Grayling Main Street Program Director

Over the past several weeks there has been quite the buzz around town with the exciting reveal of the new Downtown Grayling destination logo. Grayling Main Street (GMSt) volunteers and staff had a great time spreading the word about the new logo. Last week you read about our Social Media Hit Squad’s night on the town; this week I will share with you the winners, what is coming up for our community, and what it means.

We saw some great photos from visitors and residents alike, all throughout our downtown. On Monday afternoon, we went live on Facebook to announce the winners. If you missed it, the individual winner was Mr. Joe McMillan, and the business winner was Spike’s Keg ‘O’ Nails. We are so glad that so many folks got into the excitement of the game. We had the public posts tallied twice to make sure we had the winners.

During our exciting game, another piece of the branding and marketing puzzle was set into place. Grayling City Council approved the adoption of a new logo for the city as a municipality and as a destination, created by the same designer of the GMSt marketing toolbox. The same team that brought us the #RediscoverDowntownGrayling campaign will be working to create a reveal strategy for the newest logos to grace our community. If you are interested in joining the team or contributing to the efforts, please give us a call, shoot us an email, or catch up with us on Facebook.

The addition of the city to the rebranding of Grayling as a community and destination is tremendously helpful to the redevelopment efforts being made by GMSt and the Project Rising Tide (PRT) steering committee, as well as other groups in Grayling. A major challenge many small and rural communities face is the lack of concerted imaging for the region or destination. There are often many different looks vying for attention, and this hinders folks from being able to create a consolidated understanding of the area and its amenities. Grayling is no different; it is actually one of the barriers to development that was discussed in our community engagement sessions in the fall of 2016. We are fortunate to be receiving these branding services at no cost to the city or the participating entities, and we are also receiving all the rights to these tools as part of the service. This is the first step to creating brand recognition for our community, regardless of the entity that is promoting the area.

Want to know more about how GMSt will use the new branding materials, our updated mission and vison statement, and our transformation strategy? Check back in future editions of the Avalanche for more From the Desk of the Main Street Program Director. You can also check out our website, www.DowntownGrayling.com, find us on Facebook, or email your questions to DowntownGrayling@gmail.com.

Rae Gosling is the Program Director for Grayling Main Street. She has been with GMSt since April 2016. She is a Grayling resident, wife, mother, local shopper, avid supporter of all things Grayling, and keeps everyone on their toes wondering what color her hair will be next.